Obesity remains a serious health problem and it is no secret that many people want to lose weight. Behavioral economists typically argue that “nudges” help individuals with various decisionmaking flaws to live longer, healthier, and better lives. In an article in the new issue of Regulation, Michael L. Marlow discusses how nudging by government differs from nudging by markets, and explains why market nudging is the more promising avenue for helping citizens to lose weight.

Two long wars, chronic deficits, the financial crisis, the costly drug war, the growth of executive power under Presidents Bush and Obama, and the revelations about NSA abuses, have given rise to a growing libertarian movement in our country – with a greater focus on individual liberty and less government power. David Boaz’s newly released The Libertarian Mind is a comprehensive guide to the history, philosophy, and growth of the libertarian movement, with incisive analyses of today’s most pressing issues and policies.

Search form

Won’t Get Fooled Again?

Buried in Eli Lake’s NY Sun story on Israeli jets buzzing the home of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is this quote from former Syrian vice president Farid Ghadry, now part of the exile group Reform Party of Syria:

“This is indicative that not only Israel is running out of patience with the terrorism that is planned in Damascus, but we believe the United States may not at all dislike what happened…. The message to Assad is, ‘Clear your plate of terrorism or we will come after you.’ This is very encouraging to the Syrian opposition.”

Lake goes on to report:

Mr. Ghadry met with Vice President Cheney on June 17 at the American Enterprise Institute’s annual retreat in Beaver Creek, Colo.

It’s remarkable that after the disastrous decision to start a war with Iraq — based in good part on false intelligence provided by exiles — the vice president is still finding new and creative ways to link up with exile groups. Mr. Ghadry once said of Ahmed Chalabi that “Ahmed paved the way in Iraq for what we want to do in Syria.”